During the boom years, food obsessives like us grew accustomed to the occasional (or more than occassional) elaborate gourmet meal out, and we’re sure as hell not going to let this silly little recession thing slow us down. So we’re always on the lookout for fancy-pants meals at not-so-fancy prices.
At least in New York, some of the best deals can be found at restaurants attached to culinary academies, where you’ll get meals prepared by soon-to-be top chefs — complete with A-list ingredients, white tablecloths, and all the fancy trappings of a five-star restaurant — but at a fraction of the price, because everyone from the kitchen crew to the waitstaff are still in school. These aren’t exactly bargain basement meals, but considering the quality of what you’re getting, they’re some of the best deals around.
L’Ecole: The swanky restaurant at Soho’s French Culinary Institute offers three distinct deals: a three-course prix fixe lunch for $28, four courses at dinner for $42, or a two-plate brunch deal for $19.50. That may not sound super-cheap, but keep in mind you’ll be dining on sauteed sweetbreads, roasted duck confit, and Le Cirque-style creme brulee. 462 Broadway. (Stay nearby at the Soho Grand Hotel.)
National Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts: If you just gagged at that mention of sweetbreads, you might be more enticed by the Friday night dinners at this all-vegetarian cooking school. The student-chefs use seasonal, market-fresh ingredients in these three-course, $40 meals. The desserts, like poached pear and cranberry tart with almond pastry cream and truffle balls, are particularly enticing. 48 W. 21 St. (Stay nearby at the Gershwin Hotel.)
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